A/%^:>9 


r   S.  DEPARTMENT  I  >F  AGRICULTURE, 

Bl  l:l  \i    OF   PLANT  [NDU8TR"Y     I  ire  J 

G  \i  i.ow  n    i 


THE  SUBSTITUTION  OF  LIME-SULPHUR  PREPARA- 
TIONS FOR  BORDEAUX  MIXTURE  IX  THE 
TREATMENT  OF  APPLE  DISEAS1 


BV 


W.   11  SCOTT. 

Pathologist  in  Charge  <>r  Obchari>t5prating 

Experiments   \m>  Demonstrations, 

Fruit-Disease  I  n\  estigations. 


•  MWWJTOI    :  <- 


HI  Rh.U    OF  PLANT  IMUSTRT. 


Chief  of  Bureau,  Bbvbrli   T.  Galloway. 
Assistant  Chief  o]  Bureau,  Q.  Harold  Powell. 
Editor,  .1.  E.  R(X  K.WELL. 
Chief  Clerk,  J  lmes  E.  Jones. 
£Clr.  54] 

2 


It   I    ' 


Mil.  SI  BSTIT1  TIONOF  LIME-SULPHUR  PREPARA- 
TIONS FOR  BORDEAUX  MIXTURE  l\  THE 
TREATMENT  OF  APPLE  DISEASES. 


INTRODUCTION. 

If.  iv,-. 'iit  years  Bordeaux  mixture  has  come  into  ill  favor  among 
the  apple  growers  on  account  of  i t ^  injurious  effect  upon  the  fruit 
and  foliage  of  certain  varieties,  and  there  i-  a  growing  demand  fora 
reliable  fungicide  which  can  !><•  used  for  the  control  of  apple  diseases 
without  producing  such  injury.  Bordeaux  mixture  i-  undoubtedly 
the  best  all-around  fungicide  known,  and  it  is  unfortunate  that  the 
apple  growers  have  to  consider  the  possibilitj  of  giving  it  up:  but 
tin-  ruaseting  of  the  fruit  and  the  burning  of  the  foliage  caused  In  it 
are  so  objectionable  that  it  seems  highrj  desirable,  if  not  necessary, 
to  adopt  a  less  injurious  fungicide  even  at  the  risk  of  a  partial  sacri- 
fice of  emciencj  in  the  control  of  diseases.  'The  subject  of  Bordeaux 
injury  has  recently  been  admirably  discussed  bj  Prof.U.  P.Hedrick,* 
of  New  York,  ami  1>\  Prof.  ('.  S.  (Yamhill,  of  Qlinois,  and  will  he 
considered  onrj  incidentally  in  this  paper. 

During  the  past  three  years  the  writer  ha-  been  working  on  the 
problem  of  securing  a  satisfactory  substitute  for  Bordeaux  mixture 
and  not  without  some  success.  The  self-boiled  lime-sulphur  wash 
which  was  developed  primarily    for  spraying  peach  tree-  has  been 

found  t«>  tie  an  excellent  >pra\  for  the  control  of  mild  cases  of  apple 
diseases  and  to  be  entirely  harmless  to  fruit  and  foliage.  The  con- 
centrated lime-sulphur  solutions,  hoth  commercial  ami  home  pre- 
pared, when  diluted  to  contain  about   1  pound-  of  sulphur  to  ."in  gal- 

tcknowledgmenl  whereby  made  of  the  heart]  tion  and  assistance 

til.-  miter  oi  this  paper  in  his  investigations  bj  the  Strathmore  <  Orchard  Companj .  of 
Mount  Jackson,  Va.,  and  the  Kim  Springs  Orchard  Company,  oi  FishersviUe,  Va 
and  also  by  Messrs.  M    F.  Gilkerson   ofStaunt<  lA    -    Ballard,  of  Cr 

the  experiments  and  demonstrations  were  conducted      G    II. 
Powell,  Act 
•  Bulletin  287,  NY  .-ricultiir.il  Experiment  Station.     I'm* 

e  Bulletin  135,  Illinois  Agricultural  Experiment  Station.     \'*Q9. 

[Cli  d 


4  LIME-SULPHUR   PREPARATIONS   FOR  APPLE   DISEASED. 

Ions  of  water  have  proved  to  be  about  as  effective  in  the  control  of 
apple  scab  and  leaf-spol  i  -  Bordeaux  mixture  and  to  be  much  less 
injurious. 

Prof.  A.  B.  Cordlev,"  in  1908,  seems  to  have  been  the  first  to  point 
out  the  possibility  of  dilute  lime-sulphur  solutions  as  a  substitute  for 
Bordeaux  mixture  in  the  treatment  of  apple  diseases,  especially  scab. 
In  an  address  before  the  1907  meeting  of  the  American  Pomological 
Society,  the  writer l  gave  results  of  experiments  which  he  conducted  in 
Arkansas,  showing  that  a  self-boiled  lime-sulphur  mixture  might  be 
expected  at  least  partially  to  control  bitter-rot  and  scab.  Again  in 
the  Western  Fruit  Grower  of  January,  1909  (pp.  o-G),  the  writer 
showed  that  the  commercial  lime-sulphur  solution  registering  32 
degrees  on  the  Baume  scale,  when  used  at  a  strength  of  1  gallon  to 
25  gallons  of  water,  would  control  apple  scab  on  the  Winesap  about  as 
well  as  Bordeaux  mixture  without  materially  injuring  the  fruit  or 
foliage.  In  the  same  issue  of  the  paper  just  mentioned  (pp.  6-7), 
Prof.  R.  Kent  Beattie  reported  the  satisfactory  control  of  apple  scab 
by  very  much  stronger  solutions  of  the  commercial  lime-sulphur — 1  to 
11,  1  to  14,  and  1  to  17 — and  he  reported  no  injury  whatever  to  foliage 
or  fruit. 

In  1908  the  writer*  controlled  the  cherry  leaf-spot  in  Illinois  with 
the  commercial  lime-sulphur  solution.  1  gallon  to  40  gallons  of  water, 
and  with  the  self-boiled  lime-sulphur,  as  well  as  with  Bordeaux  mix- 
ture. During  the  same  year  experiments  with  the  lime-sulphur  solu- 
tion for  apple  scab,  conducted  by  the  writer d  in  Nebraska  and 
Arkansas,  gave  good  results,  and  similar  experiments  conducted  in 
New  Hampshire  during  the  same  year  by  Dr.  Charles  Brooks'  in 
cooperation  with  the  writer  showed  the  commercial  solution  to  be 
almost  as  effective  against  apple  scab  as  Bordeaux  mixture. 

Mr.  Errett  Wallace  t  reports  that  in  experiments  which  he  con- 
ducted in  New  York  during  1909  the  commercial  lime-sulphur  solu- 
tion at  a  strength  of  1  gallon  to  30  gallons  of  water  did  not  injure 
fruit  or  foliage  and  was  as  effective  in  controlling  apple  scab  as  Bor- 
deaux mixture,  although  the  disease  was  not  serious  in  the  orchard 
treated.  Although  none  of  the  experiments  referred  to  above  were 
exhaustive,  the  evidence  thus  far  points  to  the  lime-sulphur  solution 
as  a  valuable  substitute  for  Bordeaux  mixture,  at  least  in  the  treat- 
ment of  apple  scab. 

a  Rural  New  Yorker,  .March  7,  1908,  p.  202. 

&  Proceedings,  American  Pomological  Society,  1907,  pp.  39— to. 

<  ("ir.  27,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  V.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  1909.  pp.  12  18. 
rff'ir.  27,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  L909,  pp.  \~>  17. 

<  19th  and  20th  Annual  Reports,  New  Bampshire  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
pp.  385-389. 

/  WCstcrn  Fruit  Grower,  January,  1910,  pp.  24-25. 
[  fir.  54] 


I.I  mi    -ii  i-il  i   R    l'i:i  PAR  mONS    FOR     \ITI  I     DIS  D 

Experiments  conducted  by  the  Bureau  of  Plant  fndustrj  during 
1909  give  further  evidence  of  the  value  of  the  lime-sulphui 
fungicides  For  summer  use.  These  experiments  cover  .1  wide  range 
of  conditions,  having  been  conducted  in  Virginia,  Michigan,  and 
Arkansas.  Eleven  varieties  were  treated.  Four  different  brands 
of  the  commercial  lime-sulphur  solution  and  a  similar  home  prepared 
solution  were  tested  a(   various  strengths.     The  commercial  brands 

istered   from  31   to  33  degrees  "ii   the  hydrometer  scale.     They 
were  used  alone  and  in  combination  with  arsenical  poisons.     This 
paper  contains  a  brief  discussion  of  these  experiments,  with  sugg< 
tions as  ii>  the  substitution  of  lime-sulphur  preparations  for  Bordeaux 
mixture  in  the  treatment  of  apple  disco 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  CAREFUL  SPRAYING. 

The  acreage  in  apple  orchards  in  this  country  is  rapidly  increasing, 
ami  in  the  future  the  production  of  apples  will  undoubtedly  be  much 
greater  than  at  present.  The  writer  is  of  the  opinion,  however,  thai 
there  will  be  do  serious  overproduction  and  thai  there  will  always  be 
ood  demand  for  good  apples,  while  the  poor  stuff  so  common  on 
our  market  -  to-day  will  not  pay  i  he  expenses  of  handling.  It  should 
be  the  aim  of  every  orchardist  to  produce  and  market  nothing  l>ut 
first-class  fruit,  and  if  he  does  this  he  may  reasonably  expect  always 
in  obtain  good  returns  from  his  investment. 

Spraying  is  the  one  operation  above  every  other  orchard  practice 
which  determines  the  market  value  of  the  fruit  produced  and  yel  in 
many  instances  it  receives  the  least  attention  of  all  t  he  orchard  w  ork. 
The  successful  orchardist  of  the  future  will  he  the  man  who,  among 
other  things,  studies  the  conditions  existing  on  his  own  farm  and 
sprays  his  trees  according  to  the  needs  of  each  varietj  for  the  control 
of  the  particular  troubles  which  occur  in  his  locality  .  The  course  of 
treatment  best  suited  for  the  orchards  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley  <>f 
Virginia  may  not  necessarirj  give  the  best  results  in  orchard-  situ- 
ated east  of  the  Blue  Ridge  in  that  State,  and  again  the  treatment 
for  certain  varieties  of  apples  may  he  different  from  that  required 
for  certain  other  varieties  growing  in  the  same  locality.  The  course 
of  treatment  should  be  planned  not  only  with  reference  to  the  dis- 
es  to  he  controlled,  hut  also  with  reference  to  the  probable  effect 
of  t he  fungicide  upon  the  fruit  and  foliage  of  the  variety  to  he  t reated. 
The  Ben  Davis,  for  example,  i-  so  seriously  russeted  by  appli 
tions  of  Bordeaux  mixture  that  often  most  of  the  fruit  sprayed  with 
this  fungicide  is  rendered  second  da--.  In  Virginia  this  variety 
does  n,.t  suffer  materially  from  the  attack-  of  scab,  bitter-rot,  or 
other  serious  frail  diseases,  the  leaf-spot  which  is  easily  controlled 
being  it-  chief  fungous  enemy.     The  Ben  Davis  in  Virginia  and  in 

[Cli 


6  LIME-SULPHUB    PREPARATIONS    FOR   APPLE    DISEASES. 

other  similar  situations  may  therefore  be  successfully  sprayed  with  a 
weak  fungicide  which  will  control  the  leal-spot,  sooty  fungus,  and 
slight  seal)  infections  without  injury  to  the  fruit  or  foliage.  The 
York  Imperial  is  another  variety  which  has  no  serious  disease  of  the 
fruit,  and  in  addition  it  is  not  subject  to  Bordeaux  russet,  so  common 
on  the  Ben  Davis,  but  the  foliage1  is  susceptible  to  leaf-spot  and  is 
often  badly  injured  by  applications  of  Bordeaux  mixture,  so  that  it 
is  desirable  to  spray  this  variety  also  with  a  less  caustic  mixture. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Yellow  Newtown"  is  seriously  subject  to 
the  attacks  of  bitter-rot  and  must  be  treated  with  a  strong  fungicide, 
such  as  Bordeaux  mixture,  for  the  control  of  this  disease.  The  fruit 
of  this  variety  is  susceptible  to  Bordeaux  injury,  but  since  such  injury 
is  produced  only  by  the  early  applications  of  the  mixture  the  treat- 
ment may  be  so  planned  as  to  avoid  it.  One  of  the  lime-sulphur 
sprays  may  be  used  for  the  fust  and  second  sprayings  after  the  petals 
fall  and  Bordeaux  mixture  for  the  bitter-rot  treatments  which  come 
later  in  the  season.  These  are  some  of  the  finer  points  to  be  consid- 
ered in  connection  with  spraying,  and  the  orchardist  who  gives  them 
due  consideration  will  obtain  the  best  results  in  the  production  of 
good  fruit. 

VIRGINIA  SPRAYING  EXPERIMENTS. 

In  Virginia  during  the  season  of  1909  the  writer,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  Mr.  Leslie  Pierce,  conducted  experiments  with  various  lime- 
sulphur  preparations  in  comparison  with  Bordeaux  mixture  for  the 
control  of  apple  diseases.  The  experiments  were  made  on  the  Yel- 
low Newtown,  at  Crozet;  theWinesap,  York  Imperial,  and  Ben  Davis, 
at  Fishersville;  and  the  York  Imperial  and  Ben  Davis,  at  Mount 
Jackson. 

The  self-boiled  lime-sulphur  mixture,  the  home-boiled  lime-sul- 
phur solution,  and  the  commercial  lime-sulphur  solution,  as  well 
as  Bordeaux  mixture,  were  used.  The  self-boiled  mixture  was  used 
in  two  strengths,  8-8-506  and  10-10-50  and  the  home-boiled  solu- 
tion at  a  strength  of  5  pounds  of  sulphur  and  2\  pounds  of  lime 
to  50  gallons  of  water,  made  by  boiling  the  lime  and  the  sulphur 
with  a  small  quantity  of  water  over  a  fire  for  forty-five  minutes. 
The  latter  is  essentially  of  the  same  composition  as  the  concentrated 
lime-sulphur  solution  which  Prof.  John  P.  Stewart*  described  and 
which,  according  to  him,  can  be  kept  indefinitely.  The  commercial 
lime-sulphur  solution  was  used  at  the  rates  of  H,  If,  2,  and  21  gal- 

a  Synonym  of  Albemarle  Pippin. 

&  Whenever  formulas  for  lime-sulphur  mixture  arc  mentioned  in  this  paper  the  first 
number  shows  the  number  of  pounds  of  lime  used,  the  second  the  number  of  pounds 
of  Bulphur,  and  the  last  the  number  of  gallons  of  water. 

c Bulletin  92,  Pennsylvania  Agricultural  Experiment  Station.     1909. 

Kir.  :.1| 


UMl .--ri.rili  K    PREPARATIONS    FOB     MTl  I.    DI8EA8]  7 

Ions  to  50  gallons  of   water.      Arsenate  of  lead  ai    the   rate   oi 
pounds  i"  50  gallons   was  used    with  the  Belf-boiled    mixture,  the 
home-boiled  solution,  and  the  Bordeaux  mixture.     The  commercial 
solution   was  used   with   arsenate  of  lead  ai    the  rate  "f  2  pounds 
to   .")i)   gallons,   with    Paris   green   at    the   rate    of  6    ounces  to   50 
gallons,  and  without   anj    poison.     In  the  Mount  Jackson  orchard 
the  trees  were  -prayed :  First,  as  booh  as  the  petals  fell;  second 
three  to  four  weeks  after  the  petals  fell;  and  third,  nine  to  ten  weeks 
after  the  petals  fell.     The  Fishersville  orchard,  <>n  account  of  scab 
i  an  additional  application,  which  was  made  ju-t  before  the 
trees  bloomed.     The  Crozet  orchard  received  the  same  treatment 
iIk>  Mount  Jackson  orchard,  and  on  account  of  bitter-rot  a  fourth 
application  three  t"  four  weeks  after  the  third. 

In  the  same  orchards  spraying  demonstrations  for  the  control  of 
insects  and  diseases  were  conducted  jointly  l>\  the  Bureau  of  Ento 
mology  and  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  following  the  schedules 
of  applications  just  mentioned,  which  were  prepared  by  Mr.  A.  L. 
Quaintance  and  the  writer,  the  former  being  responsible  for  that  por- 
tion relating  to  bisect  control.  A  discussion  of  these  demonstrations 
will  not  be  included  in  the  present  paper. 

MIK    EFFECT    <>i     I  in.    SPRAYfi    <>\     mi.    FOLIAGE. 

One  of  the  objects  of  these  experiments  was  t"  determine  the  effect 
of  the  several  lime-sulphur  preparations  in  combination  with  arsen- 
icals  on  the  foliage  of  different  varietii  3  era!  times  at  intervals 
during  the  season  uotes  were  made  on  the  condition  <>f  the  foliage 
of  the  trees  in  the  experimental  plats.  The  weather  was  mostly 
cloudy  and  rainy  from  earl}  spring  until  about  Jul}  1,  so  that  the  con- 
ditions were  favorable  to  the  development  of  spray  injury.  During 
the  latter  half  of  the  season,  however,  practical!}  n<>  tain  fell. 

In  ever}  case, except  on  the  Winesap,  where  Paris  green  was  used 
with  the  commercial  lime-sulphur  solutions,  the  foliage  was  badly 
burned  and  in  some  instances  the  tree-,  spraj  ed  with  this  combination 
lost  half  of  their  foliage.  The  Wine-up  did  nut  suffer  so  much  injury 
from  this  or  any  of  the  other  sprays  a-  did  .the  other  varieties.  This 
variety  was  used  in  the  experiments  of  the  previous  year  conducted 
in  Nebraska  by  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  and  the  fact  that  the 
commercial  solution  at  the  rate  of  2  gallons  to  50  gallons  of  w  ater  and 
t'«  ounce-  of  Pari-  green  caused  onlj  a  slight  damage  to  the  foliage 
indicated  that  the  combination  might  be  practicable.  It  is  evident, 
however,  from  the  Virginia  experiments  that  it  is  entirely  unsafe 
to  use  Pari-  L'reen  with  the  lime-sulphur  spra\ 

The  commercial  Lime-sulphur  solution  at  the  rate  of  i  .  gallons  to  50 
gallons  of  water  and  2  pounds  of  arsenate  of  lead  injured  the  foliage 

[CJi 


8  LIME-SULPHUR  PREPARATION. S   FOB   APPLE   DISEASES. 

only  slightly,  scarcely  enough  to  he  noticeable  to  the  casual  observer. 
At  the  rale  of  2  gallons  to  50  gallons  of  water  with  arsenate  of  lead 
this  preparation  injured  the  foliage  considerably,  so  that  a  small  per- 
centage of  the  leaves  dropped  off.  (See  PI.  I,  fig.  1.)  This  injury 
was  manifested  by  a  slight  scorching  around  the  margins  and  at  the 
tips  of  the  leaves,  and  in  some  cases  by  the  formation  of  irregular 
brown  spots.  Even  here,  however,  the  injury  was  scarcely  more 
severe  than  that  caused  by  3-3-50  Bordeaux  mixture0  on  the  same 
varieties.      (See  PL  I,  fig.  2.) 

At  a  strength  of  2  to  50  without  any  poison  the  commercial  solu- 
tion injured  the  foliage  slightly  more  than  the  same  mixture  with  the 
addition  of  arsenate  of  lead.  The  same  is  true  of  the  1  '  to  50  strength. 
The  arsenate  of  lead  apparently  reduced  the  caustic  properties  of  the 
sulphids,  rendering  the  mixture  less  injurious  to  apple  foliage.  This 
is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  a  portion  of  the  sulphur  is  taken  out 
of  solution  to  combine  with  the  lead,  forming  lead  sulphid  and  arse- 
nate of  lime. 

The  same  solution  at  a  strength  of  2  V  gallons  to  50  gallons  of  water 
.with  and  without  arsenate  of  lead  injured  the  foliage  very  badly, 
causing  a  partial  defoliation  of  the  trees.  This  is  much  too  strong 
for  use  in  the  Eastern  .States,  although  Professor  Beattie,6  of  Wash- 
ington State,  recommended  even  a  stronger  solution. 

It  appears  from  these  tests  that  2  gallons  of  the  commercial  solution 
to  50  gallons  of  water  is  the  maximum  strength  that  can  be  used 
on  apple  foliage  with  any  degree  of  safety,  and  that  H  to  50  is  much 
safer  and  is  about  as  strong  as  one  should  risk  in  spraying  a  large 
orchard. 

The  home-boiled  solution,  containing  5  pounds  of  sulphur  and  2\ 
pounds  of  lime  to  50  gallons  of  water,  with  2  pounds  of  arsenate  of 
lead,  caused  very  little  or  practically  no  injur}*.  This  is  practically 
the  same  as  the  commercial  solution  diluted  to  contain  2  gallons  t<> 
50  gallons  of  water,  hut  the  foliage  injury  caused  by  the  latter  was 
more  conspicuous. 

The  self-boiled  lime-sulphur  and  arsenate  of  lead  caused  no  injury 
whatever:  in  fact,  the  foliage  sprayed  with  this  mixture  had  a  bright- 
green,  vigorous  appearance  throughout  the  season.  (See  PI.  II,  fig.  1 .) 
The  leaves  were  noticeably  larger,  the  buds  were  plumper,  and  the 
trees  made  more  growth  than  those  sprayed  with  the  other  lime- 
sulphur  preparations  and  with  Bordeaux  mixture. 

The  Bordeaux  mixture  caused  considerable  spotting  and  yellowing 
of  the  leaves  on  the  York  Imperial,  Ben  Davis,  and  Yellow  Newtown, 

a  Whenever  formulas  for  Bordeaux  mixture  are  given  in  this  paper,  the  first  number 
indicates  (he  number  of  pounds  cf  copper  sulphate  used;  the  second,  the  number  of 
pounds  of  .-tone  linn',   and  the  last,  the  number  of  gallons  of  water. 

''Western  Fruit  Grower,  January.  1*.K)9.  pp.  6-7. 
[Cir.  54] 


I 


Plate  I 


...     -  •  -v         . 

-  ..-*■■     *>■■.,         y 


&  v ' 


FlG.  1  .     Bln  D-v  .  IS   TfiEl   •  SPRAYED  WITH  COMMERCIAL  LlME-SuLPHUR    2  TO  50  ,  SHOWING 

Some  Leaf  Injury.    Fishersville,  Va.,  September  29,  1909. 


I 


Fig.  2. -A  Row  of  Ben  Davis  Trees  Sprayed  jEauxMu'  :    -hersville, 

Va,  September  29,  1909. 


UMl    BULPB  I  PARA  i  I0N8    i  OB    iPT\  E    DI81 


9 


hut  n,t\  little  on  the  Winesap  vari<  me  of  the  injured  I 

dropped  from  time  to  time.so  thai  thefoliageon  manj  tr< 
wha1  thinned  out  toward  the  end  of  the  Beason,  but  thedami 
iioi  be  considered  verj    i  rious. 


i  in;    CONTROl     Ol     DI8EAS1 

In  the  orchards  in  Virginia  where  these  experiments  were  con- 
ducted Done  of  the  apple  diseases  excepl  leaf-spot  developed  to  a 
serious  extent,  bo  thai  the  test  was  do!  a  severe  one.  The  apple  leaf- 
9pol  amon  throughout  this  State,  was  entirely  controlled  l>\  all 

the  mixtures  used.  The  self-boiled  lime-sulphur  made  the  best  show- 
ing in  this  connection,  because  it  not  onlj  controlled  the  leaf-spot  but 
did  not  injure  the  foliage,  and  apparently  had  a  stimulating  effect  on 
thetre*  3  PI.  II  All  the  lime-sulphur  preparations,  as  well  as  the 
Bordeaux  mixture,  controlled  the  soot]  fungus  and  an  undetermined 

ruil  spot"  which  was  common  th<>  past  season  in  Virginia.  'I  Ih> 
weather  was  so  dry  after  midsummer  that  bitter-rol  did  nol  develop 
sufficiently  to  test  the  value  of  the  lime-sulphur  sprays  for  its  control. 

Considerable  Bcab  developed  on  the  unsprayed  Winesaps  in  the 
Fiahersville  orchard,  so  that  a  partial  test  of  theefficacj  of  the  3everal 
sprays  in  the  control  of  this  disease  was  afforded.  Only  one  strength 
to  50  "I"  tlu-  commercial  lime-sulphur  was  used  on  this  variety. 
The  crop  from  four  trees  in  each  of  the  more  important  plats  was 
picked  and  sorted,  and  the  results  are  shown  in  the  following  table: 

Tabu  I       /.' 


Com  men 

I 


fruit. 

itli. 

Per 

It  will  be  Been  from  this  table  that  the  scab  was  held  down  to  less 
than  l  per  cent  of  the  crop  by  the  commercial  lime-sulphur,  to  ."•,  per 
cent  by  Betf-boiled  lime-sulphur,  and  to  about  2  per  cent  by  Bordeaux 
mixture,  and  that  30  per  cent  of  the  unsprayed  fruit  was  affected 
with  the  disease.  This  disease  was  well  controlled  by  all  the  mixtu 
bul  it  will  be  noted  that  it  was  not  particularly  had  on  the  unsprayed 

trees,  so  that  tin-  test  could  not  be  considered  a  seve ne.     None 

of  the  Winesaps  were  sprayed  with  the  weaker  commercial  prepara- 
tions nor  with  the  home-boiled  lime-sulphur. 

[fir.  .".I] 


10  LIME-SULPHUB    PBEPABATIONS    FOB    APPLE    DISEASES. 

In  this  experiment  the  comparative  effect  of  the  different  mixtures 
on  the  codling  moth  was  determined,  and,  as  shown  in  Table  I,  the  com- 
bination of  lime-sulphur  and  arsenate  of  lead  controlled  this  insect 
aboul  as  well  as  Bordeaux  mixture  and  arsenate  of  lead.  It  seems, 
therefore,  thai  the  poisonous  action  of  this  arsenical  is  not  reduced 
by  combining  it  with  the  lime-sulphur  preparation. 

THE    EFFECT   OF   THE    BPRAY8    ON    THE    FR-tJIT. 

Ill  all  the  orchards  treated  the  fruit  sprayed  with  the  several  lime- 
sulphur  mixtures  was  smoother  and  more  highly  colored  than  that 
sprayed  with  Bordeaux  mixture.  The  Bordeaux  mixture  russeted 
the  fruit  of  the  Ben  Davis  SO  that  it  did  not  have  the  ''finish''  required 
for  fancy  apples,  and  a  small  percentage  of  it  had  to  he  dis- 
carded as  culls  on  account  of  the  roughened  appearance  due  to  the 
mixture.  The  Yellow  Newtowns  were  russeted  considerably  and  the 
Winesaps  only  slightly,  while  the  York  Imperials  showed  practically 
no  russet  effect. 

The  lime-sulphur  preparations  caused  no  russeting,  or  at  most 
very  little  where  the  strongest  solutions  were  used,  and  the  fruit 
sprayed  with  these  mixtures  was  smooth,  clean,  and  well  colored. 
The  difference  in  color  between  the  fruit  sprayed  with  the  Bordeaux 
and  that  sprayed  with  the  several  lime-sulphur  preparations  was 
very  striking,  and  this  feature  alone  would  make  the  latter  sprays 
preferable  to  the  former  if  other  things  were  equal. 

EXPERIMENTS  IN  MICHIGAN. 

Experiments  similar  to  those  in  Virginia  were  conducted  at  Douglas. 
Mich.,  in  cooperation  with  the  Bureau  of  Entomology,  and  the  results 
were  much  the  same.  The  work  was  done  by  Mr.  R.  W.  Braucher 
under  the  writer's  direction  in  the  orchard  of  Mr.  C.  W.  Gavlord. 
The  trees  were  sprayed  just  before  they  bloomed  (May  19  and  20), 
as  soon  as  the  petals  fell  (June  1  and  2),  three  weeks  later  (June  23 
and  24),  and  ten  weeks  after  the  petals  fell  (August  10  and  11). 

There  were  six  plats  of  from  13  to  20  trees  each,  including  the 
Wegener,  Baldwin,  Rhode  Island,  Roxbury,  and  Ben  Davis  varieties. 
The  commercial  lime-sulphur  solution,  diluted  to  contain  2  gallons 
to  50  gallons  of  water,  without  any  arsenical,  was  applied  to  plat  1  : 
the  same  solution,  with  the  addition  of  6  ounces  of  Paris  green, 
was  applied  to  plat  2;  ami  the  same  solution,  with  the  addition  of 
2  pounds  of  arsenate  of  lead,  was  used  on  plat  3.  Plat  4  was  sprayed 
with  self-boiled  lime-sulphur  (10-10-50)  and  2  pounds  of  arsenate 
of  lead,  and  plat  5  was  sprayed  with  3-4-50  Bordeaux  mixture 
and  2  pounds  of  arsenate  of  lead,  while  plat  (>  was  left  unsprayed. 
The  plats  sprayed  with  the  commercial  lime-sulphur  solution,  espe- 

[Clr.  54] 


I    Bureau  of  >' 


Plat      II 


Fio.  1,-York  Imperial  Apple  Tree  Sprayed  with  Self-Boiled  Lime-Sulphur,  Show- 
ing Luxuriant  Foliage.    Fishersville,  Va.,  September  29,  1909. 


/ 


Fio.  2. -Unstayed  York  Imperial  Apple  Trees  Almost  Defoliated  by  Leaf-Spot, 
Located  in  the  Same  Orchard  and  Photographed  at  the  Same  Time  as  that 
Shown  in  Figure  1. 


I.IMI    >(  I.I'll  I   i:    Prtl  PAB  VT10NI 


>K     VI  II  i     DISI 


I  1 


n;ill\  plal  -.  began  to  show  considerable  foliage  injurj  after  the  second 
application,  and  on  tin-  account  the  solution  was  diluted  to  contain 
onh    i  gallon  in   I"  gallons  of  water  for  the  last  two  sprayinj 

BB81  LTB  Ol     i  ii  i      11:1   \  i  m  i  n  I 

n  after  the  second  application  was  made,  accordini 
Mr.  Braucher'a  notes,  the  commercial  lime-sulphur  plats  began  to 
sh«.u  f,»li:.Lr<'  injury.  Notes  made  al  intervals  during  the  season 
BhoM  that  the  foliage  was  quite  badlj  injured  by  the  lime-sulphui 
solution  and  Paris  green  combination  and  that  tin'  solution  without 
an  arsenical  caused  almosl  as  much  .lama--',  while  tin-  Bame  solution 
with  arsenate  of  lead  was  much  less  injurious  Although  the  dam 
caused  l>\  the  lime-sulphur  and  arsenate  of  lead  combination  wae 
not  severe,  it  was  sufficient  to  discourage  the  use  of  the  solution 
at  the  strength  of  '-'  gallons  t<>  50  gallons  of  water.     A  strength  <>f 

II  gallons  to  •"><)  gallons  of  water,  with  arsenate  of  lead,  proved  to 
he  practical!}  noninjurious  in  Virginia  and  would  probably  he  sal. 
in  Michigan.  The  self-boiled  lime-sulphur  mixture  with  arsenate  of 
lead  caused  no  damage  whatever. 

The  following  table  shows  the  efficiency  of  the  several  spraj  mix- 
ture-, in  preventing  apple  scab  on  the  Wagener  variety,  a-  determined 
by  sorting  and  counting  the  fruit  from  eighl  trees  in  each  plat: 

Tabli   II      Comparison  of  results  of  On  use  of lime-sulphur  spn 

<:>   the  pr> 


plat. 


Commercial  Umwulphui 
Commercial  llme-stilpbur  solutl  i 

- 
e-sulphur 




fruit. 


As  shown  in  the  above  table,  the  scab  was  held  down  to  an  average 
1.2  per  cent  of  the  crop  l>\  the  commercial  lime-sulphur  solution 
i„:;.  13  percent  by  the  Bordeaux  mixture,  and  to  19. 1^  per  cent  by  the 
self-boiled  mixture,  while  81    per  cenl  of  the  unsprayed  fruit   * 
acabbj        SeePl.  til.)     This  experiment,  as  well  as  those  conducted 
in  Virginia,  show-  that   the  lime-sulphur  solution  is  as  effective  in 
preventing  apple  scab  a-  Bordeaux  mixture,  while  the  self-boiled 
wash  i-  not  80  ur"«>d  in  this  connection.      The  arsenate  of  lead  in  the 
commercial  lime-sulphur  solution  held  the  codling  moth  down  to  l.n 
per  cent  of   the  crop  and  in  the  case  of   Bordeaux  mixture  to 
cent,  thus  indicating  that  the  lime-sulphur  does  not  injuriously  affect 
the  poison. 


I  fir    :.  I  ] 


T2  LIME-SULPHUR    PREPARATIONS    FOB    APPLE    DISEASES. 

EXPERIMENTS  IN  ARKANSAS. 

At  Siloam  Springs,  Ark.,  during  1909,  Messrs.  F.  W.  Faurot  and 
E.  L.  Jenne,  of  the  Bureau  of  Entomology,  conducted  another  set  of 
experiments  under  the  writer's  directions.  The  results  of  those 
experiments  throw  considerable  doubt  on  both  the  efficiency  and 
safety  of  the  commercial  lime-sulphur  solution  as  a  summer  spray  for 
apple  diseases.  The  Ben  Davis,  Shannon,  Arkansas,  and  Elkhorn 
varieties  were  sprayed  with  several  different  strengths  of  the  commer- 
cial preparation  in  combination  with  arsenical  poisons.  The  self- 
boiled  lime-sulphur  solution  and  the  Bordeaux  mixture  were  also 
used.  The  trees  were  sprayed  five  times,  as  follows:  (1)  As  soon  as 
the  petals  fell;  (2)  three  weeks  later;  (3)  eight  to  nine  weeks  after 
the  petals  fell;  (4)  two  weeks  later,  and  (5)  three  weeks  after  the 
fourth  application. 

RESULTS    OF   THE   TREATMENT. 

The  trees  sprayed  with  commercial  lime-sulphur  solution  diluted 
to  contain  1  gallon  in  30  gallons  of  water,  with  the  addition  of  the 
usual  amount  of  arsenate  of  lead,  siiowed  very  little  or  practically  no 
foliage  injury  after  the  first  and  second  applications;  in  fact,  according 
to  notes  made  on  June  30  and  July  22,  no  serious  injury  followed  the 
third  treatment,  which  was  applied  on  June  2.  After  the  fifth  appli- 
cation, however,  the  injury  increased  rapidly,  and  at  picking  time 
half  of  the  leaves  were  on  the  ground.  It  seems  that  the  injurious 
effect  of  the  mixture  was  cumulative,  the  injury  being  increased 
by  each  application.  Three  applications  would,  perhaps,  have 
resulted  in  little  or  no  damage,  but  five  sprayings  were  evidently 
more  than  the  trees  could  stand.  Considerable  rain  fell  during  May 
and  June,  but  the  remainder  of  the  season  was  dry.  The  trees  suf- 
fered severely  from  drought,  which  apparently  exaggerated  the  spray 
injury.  On  account  of  the  shortage  of  foliage  on  the  trees  a  portion 
of  the  fruit  was  sunburned,  but  no  russeting  was  caused  by  the  spray. 
This  sunburning  also  occurred  on  the  fruit  sprayed  with  Bordeaux 
mixture,  but  to  a  much  less  extent. 

The  commercial  lime-sulphur  at  a  strength  of  1  to  30  in  combina- 
tion with  Paris  green  began  to  burn  the  foliage  soon  after  the  first 
application  was  made,  and  bv  midsummer  the  trees  were  almost  bare. 
Arsenite  of  lime  was  also  used  with  the  1  to  30  solution,  and  the 
results  were  disastrous.  The  foliage  was  burned  to  a  crisp  and  the 
fruit  badly  scorched  by  the  first  application.  Even  the  new  twig 
growth  was  killed  to  a  considerable  extent. 

The  self-boiled  lime-sulphur  and  arsenate  of  lead  caused  no  injury 
to  fruit  or  foliage1.  The  fruit  sprayed  with  Bordeaux  mixture  was 
quite  badly  russeted  and  the  foliage  suffered  considerable  injury. 

I  fir.  54] 


• 


Pla 


Fiq.  1.— Apples  Sprayed  with  Commercial  Lime-Sulphur.    Scabby  Fruit  on 

Right. 


Fig  2 —Apples  Sprayed  with  Bordeaux  Mixture.    Scabby  Fruit  on  the  Right. 


Fio.  4.-Unsprayed  Apples.    Scabby  Fruit  on  the  Right. 


UMB-8ULPH1  B    PBEPABATI0N8    POB    Ml'"     DI81  \&E&. 


The  hme-sulphur  sprays  failed  to. trol  apple  blotch  (P 

•oKtarfe),  which  is  the  most    troubles  J  of  th  on 

U»u1  95percen1  of  the  an  pi    jred  bail  «">■    ''""' 

and  about   10  per  cent  of  the  frui!  sprayed  with  tl  wash 

*as  so  affected.     The  commercial  solution  a1  I   30  gave  o  j  ly 

better  results,  while  Bordeaux  mixture  almosl  completely  controlled 
the  disease      Bitter  roi   {GlvmereUa  •   !     >  ""■    " 

serious  in  the  experimental  orchard,  was  onl)  partial  controUed  bj 
an,  o(  the  lime-sulphur  sprays,  while  Bordeaux  mixture  held  it  in 
check  thoroughly.  I.  seems  from  the  test  that  the  hme-salphur 
preparations  are  of  doubtful  value  in  the  control  of  apple  blotch  and 
bitter-rot;  bu1  of  course  further  tests  are  necessarj  before  final  coa- 
clusions  can  be  reached. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

The  writer  feels  that  the  information  at  hand  is  nol  quite  sufficieni 
upon  whirl,  to  base  final  conclusions  and  recommendations  It 
seems  evident,  however,  that  a  lime-sulphur  preparation  m  one  form 
or  another  is  destined,  largely,  to  take  the  place  oj  Bordeaux  mix- 
ture in  spraying  varieties  of  apples  subject  to  serious  injury  iron, 
applications  of  the  latter. 

\  lime-sulphur  solution  containing,  when  diluted,  about    l  pounds 
of  sulphur  to  50  gallons  of  water  appears  at  present  to  be  the  most 
promising  preparation.     This  may  I btained  b3    using  the  com- 
mercial solution  at  the  rate  of  H  gallons  to  50  gallons  oj  water,  orby 
preparing  the  lime-sulphur  solution  at  home  and  diluting  U  -  i  tha 
each  50  gallons  will  contain  l  pounds  of  sulphur.     The  mixture  at 
this  strength  injured  apple  foliage  in  Virginia  very  little,  and  if  these 
results  could  be  taken  as  a  reliable  guide  there  Deed   be  no  hesitancy 
in  using  it;  bul  under  differenl  conditions  the  results  might  bediffer- 
ent    and  the  matter  must  still  be  considered  as  more  or  ess  experi- 
mental      V  strength  of  l ',   gallons  of  the  commercial  solution  may 
prove  to  be  sufficieni  in  mosl  cases,  and  the  danger  of  injury  would 
then,  perhaps,  be  entirely  eliminated. 

Our  experiments  of  1908  and  1909,  as  well  as  the  published  records 
of  other  investigators,  show  that  the  lime^ulphur  solution  is  ap] 
enth  as  effective  as  Bordeaux  mixture  in  the  control  oj  apple  scab. 
Under  more  severe  conditions  than  those  whirl,  existed  m  the  exper- 
imental orchards  the  treatment  might  fail;  but  al  present  it  is  very 
promising.  Lime-sulphur  will  control  leaf-spot  and  other  mrnot 
troubles,  as  well  as  apple  scab,  bul  so  far  it  has  nol  proved  to  be  a 
satisfactory  remedy  for  apple  blotch  (Phyllosticta)  and  bitter-rot. 
However  the  experiments  on  those  two  diseases  have  not  been  car- 
ried far  enough  to  determine  what  may  be  expected  of  it  in  this  con- 
nection.    1»  sections  where  spraying  for  bitter-rot   is  required   the 

[Or.  •"•,] 


14  LIME-SULPHUB    PREPARATIONS    FOB   APPLE   DISEASES. 

lime-sulphur  treatment  for  scab  and  leal-spot  could  be  followed  by 
applications  of  Bordeaux  mixture  for  bitter-rot. 
The  self-boiled  lime-sulphur  is  entirely  harmless  to  apple  foliage 

and  apparently  has  a  stimulating  effect,  hut  it  is  not  as  effective 
igainst  scah  as  the  boiled  wash.  Our  experiments  show  that  it  will 
control  mild  cases  of  seal)  and  will  entirely  prevent  leaf-spot,  "fruit- 
spot."'  and  the  sooty  fungus,  but  in  sections  where  scab  is  a  serious 
disease  this  wash  would  probably  be  inefficient.  In  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  of  Virginia,  where  scab  rarely  occurs  except  in  a  mild  form, 
and  under  similar  conditions  elsewhere  the  self-boiled  lime-sulphur 
would  perhaps  be  preferable  to  either  the  boiled  wash  or  Bordeaux 
mixture. 

According  to  the  information  at  hand  arsenate  of  lead  is  unques- 
tionably the  poison  to  use  with  the  lime-sulphur  mixtures.  Instead 
of  increasing  the  caustic  properties  of  the  mixture,  as  at  first  feared, 
it  apparently  has  the  opposite  effect  to  some  extent  and  does  not 
lose  any  of  its  insect icidal  value  by  reason  of  the  combination. 

In  all  the  experiments  the  combination  of  Paris  green  and  the 
lime-sulphur  solution  proved  to  be  quite  injurious  to  apple  foliage, 
and  in  the  Arkansas  work  the  combination  of  arsenate  of  lime  and 
lime-sulphur  was  exceedingly  injurious. 

According  to  the  results  obtained  in  the  Arkansas  experiment, 
three  applications  of  the  commercial  solution  at  a  strength  of  1 
gallon  to  30  gallons  may  be  made  without  material  injury  to  apple 
foliage,  but  after  the  fourth  application  the  injurious  effect  becomes 
serious,  and  after  the  fifth  the  injury  is  almost  disastrous  to  both 
fruit  and  foliage.  It  appeal's,  therefore,  that  the  injury  is  cumula- 
tive and  that  it  is  unsafe  to  make  more  than  three  applications,  or 
four  if  one  is  made  before  the  trees  bloom. 

SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TREATMENT. 

It  is  at  present  more  difficult  to  make  satisfactory  recommenda- 
tions for  spraying  apple  orchards  than  it  has  been  for  years.  Until 
recently  Bordeaux  mixture  was  preeminently  the  best  known  fungi- 
cide for  use  on  the  apple,  and  it  was  comparatively  easy  to  outline 
a  course  of  orchard  spraying  for  a  given  locality,  but  the  advent  of 
new  fungicides  which,  though  insufficiently  tested,  give  promise  of 
doing  the  good  work  of  Bordeaux  mixture  without  its  harmful  effects, 
makes  the  problem  more  difficult  until  further  experiments  shall 
have  shown  the  exact  value  of  these  new  preparations.  The  writer 
is  of  the  opinion,  however,  that  the  information  at  hand  is  sufficient 
to  warrant  making  substitutions  for  Bordeaux  mixture  under  certain 
conditions,  thus  avoiding  as  much  as  possible  the  very  undesirable 
fruit  russeting  and  foliage  injury  produced  by  this  fungicide.  The 
following  tentative  outlines  for  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  different 
varieties  of  apples  are  suggested: 

[Cir.  r.4  J 


1,1  M  l    SI    I  I'll  I    I:     I'KI  PAHA  IION.S     KOH     UM'LI      IMSKASI  S, 


L5 


On  varieties  subject  i«>  attacks  of  . 1 1 » i •  I < •  scab,  especially  in  district* 

where  tlii-  disease  prevails,  use  a   reliable  com rcial  lime-sulphur 

solution  (registering  aboul  32  degrees  on  the  Baume*  scale  at  the 
Btrength  of  I  '.  lt;»  ' ' *  *' » -  to  50  gallons  of  water  oi  an  equivalent  strength 
of  the  homo-boiled  solution,0  with  2  pounds  of  arsenate  of  lead.  Spray 
the  trees  (1)  just  before  thej  bloom  after  the  cluster  buds  open 
as  soon  as  the  petals  fall  (3)  three  to  four  weeks  after  the  petals 
fall,  and  (4)  nine  to  leu  weeks  after  the  petals  fall  This  course  of 
treatment  is  intended  for  the  control  of  apple  scab,  codling  moth, 
leaf  spot .  and  other  minor  i  roubles. 

In  the  treatment  of  varieties  not  serious!)  subject  to  scab,  or  in 
districts  when  this  disease  is  not  prevalent,  the  application  before  the 
trees  bloom  maj  be  omitted,  making  onrj  tliree  applications  in  all. 

On  varieties  requiring  treatment  for  bitter-rot,  the  lime-sulphur 
solution  and  arsenate  of  lead  maj  be  used  in  the  two  or  three  early 
sprayings,  and  Bordeaux  mixture  (3  I  50  and  arsenate  of  lead  in 
the  applications  required  for  bitter-rot,  as  follows:  About  nine  weeks 
after  the  petals  fall  and  at  intervals  of  two  or  three  weeks  until  three 
applications  shall  have  been  made. 

On  such  varieties  as  the  York  Imperial,  Grimes,  Ben  Davis,  Gano, 
and  Wealth)  .  located  in  Virginia,  Wesl  Virginia,  Maryland,  and  other 
similar  sections  where  these  varieties  suffer  verj  little,  or  nol  at  all, 
from  attacks  of  seal),  the  self-boiled  lime-sulphur  mixture  s  s  50  . 
with  arsenate  of  lead,  may  be  used  with  complete  success  Spray 
the  tree  -  soon  as  the  petals  fall;  (2    three  to  four  weeks  after 

the  petals  fall,  and  (3)  nine  ii>  tfii  weeks  after  the  petals  fall  This 
course  of  treatment  will  control  the  apple  leaf-spot,  mild  cases  <>f 
scab,  and  other  minor  troubles,  as  well  as  the  codling  moth,  The 
advantage  of  this  mixture  over  the  boiled  solution  i-  that  it  i-  abso- 
lutely  harmless  to  fruit  and  foliage,  while  the  use  of  the  latter  i- 
attended  with  seme  danger  of  foliage  injury. 

After  another  year'-  experiment-  the  courses  of  treatment  here 
specified  will  doubtless  have  to  be  revised.  They  are  suggested  a-  a 
guide  in  spraying  apple  orchards  until  further  information  on  the 
comparative  value  of  various  sulphur  Bprays  can  he  obtained. 

Approved : 

•  I  \M  I   -     \Yl  I   -ON  . 

St  en  tm  i/  of  Agricidtun  . 
Washington,  1>.  ( '..  February  7,  1910. 

'•  Tin-  solution  may  be  prepared  by  l >•  ■! lin^  16  ]>' o m.l-  of  sulphur  and  s  pounds  of 
lime  with  a  small  quantity  ot  water  tor  aboul  one  li"ur.  then  -ir.iin  and  add  water  to 

make  -W  gallons  oi  spraj ;  oi  stock  solutions  may  be  prepared  i rding  to  Stem 

method,  as  described  in  Bulletin  92  of  the  Pennsylvania  Agricultural  Experiment 
ion 


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